Known are antitumoral peptides of bleomycine group (1). Bleomycines provide a direct cytotoxic action on tumor cells, however, the possibility of their clinic use is restricted by pronounced side effects, first of all onto lungs and kidneys.
Known is use of recombinant proteins of interferon group as activators of antitumoral immunity and inhibitors of tumor cell proliferation. Interferons are used for treating the multiple myeloma (2), Hodgkin's disease (3), myeloid leukemia (4). However, high cost of interferons makes them inaccessible for wide clinical use. Another limitations are side effects associated with possible pyrogenecity, immunogenicity and other undesirable properties of recombinant interferon.
Known are suggestions to use peptide inducers of apoptosis as potential antitumoral drugs (5). However, clinical trends of this direction are still unexplored. Currently, several cytokine-type protein compounds are on the stage of development and clinical testing as antitumoral remedies (6). The most prominent is the use of interleukin-2, but high cost and toxicity of the recombinant interleukin-2 limit its wide use in oncology practice.
Known are suggestions to use hemocyanin and arylphorin proteins as activators of immune response and antitumoral agents (7).
In spite of presence of aforementioned and other elaborations described in the literature, a therapy of oncological diseases remains still ineffective and is practically always highly toxic and expensive. Therefore, searches of new approaches to tumor therapy remain still one of the most important problems of modern medicine.
Alloferons are known as immunomodulating peptides (8). Therapy of viral infections is the main field of use of said alloferons. At the same time, antitumoral properties of said alloferons based upon activation of antitumoral immunity mechanisms, namely interferons and natural killer cells, are known (9). Alloferons are the closest analogues of the present invention in their chemical structure and action mechanism.